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Why do you think it took the U.S. drum and bass scene so long to catch up with the U.K.’s?

When you’re talking about American-made drum and bass, the majority of it got a little bit off-track and started to get too hard, dark and sort of boy’s club furious. It’s always been so good in the U.K. because jump-up was always there and tunes that would appeal to women—and you can’t have a good night, club or crowd without women.

As one of the DnB heavyweights, how do you feel about dubstep pushing it out of the spotlight in recent years?

The one thing I’m really happy to see is that finally a new form of music came along to get kids excited again. They’re not even sure that it’s dubstep or drumstep or whatever; they just call it bass music and they’re super into it. It reminds me of when I first got started as a DJ—that fresh hunger for raw music.

Why does your new track “Sanctuary” seem to have more levels and soul than other recent DnB releases?

I just started a new partnership with Bill Hamel, a really well-known progressive producer who’s done remixes for Rihanna, Britney Spears, Seal. We’re ultimately trying to make a progressive form of drum and bass that could potentially crossover and fit with a wider audience.

AK1200 chats about porn music, his record labels and more in the Nocturnal Admissions podcast featuring AK1200 and Bill Hamel's track "Sanctuary" available for free download here.